Travel Tales by Afar Space, Sea, and the Nudge That Saved His Life
Jim Kitchen, professor of entrepreneurship at UNC Chapel Hill, has visited all 193 countries, rocketed 66 miles into space with Blue Origin, and descended seven miles to the ocean's deepest point—but his most important journey was learning to connect rather than just collect experiences.
From childhood road trips in a wood-paneled station wagon to becoming one of only 700+ people who've seen Earth from space, in this episode of Travel Tales by Afar, Jim reveals how travel transformed him from a frantic collector into a mindful connector—and how trusting his instincts literally saved his life.
In this episode, you'll discover
- How travel resolved an existential crisis—and changed everything
- What it's really like to rocket into space at 2,300 miles per hour
- Why listening to life's "nudges" can be a matter of survival
Don't miss these transformative moments
- Growing up with "genetic wanderlust" and seeing America backwards from a station wagon
- The Afghan marketplace moment that shifted his approach from collecting to connecting
- Negotiating a space travel prenup and the emotional stages of preparing for launch
- Slapping himself awake at 2,300 mph because he wasn't going to be "that guy"
- The profound silence of space and seeing Earth without borders
- Smuggling pounds of stickers to space in oversized socks (sorry, Blue Origin!)
- Descending seven miles down to find life thriving in the most inhospitable conditions
- The nudge that saved his life when he walked away from the doomed Titan submersible
Resources
- Read the transcript of the episode
- Follow Jim Kitchen on Instagram
- Learn more about Blue Origin space tourism
- Read about the Challenger Deep and Mariana Trench exploration
Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our other podcasts, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week, and View From Afar, where we spotlight the people and the ideas shaping the future of travel.
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